Eton College apologises after allegations pupils jeered visiting state schoolgirls

[sunnydaytoday0]

If true, why has no one been expelled?

www.theguardian.com/education/2022/nov/18/eton-college-apologises-after-allegations-pupils-jeered-visiting-state-schoolgirls

Private school sanctions a number of boys after investigation into misogynistic language and racial slurs.

Eton College has apologised and “sanctioned” a number of pupils after allegations that a group of girls visiting from a nearby state school were subjected to misogynistic language, racial slurs and jeering.

The boys’ private school near Windsor, Berkshire, told the BBC that an investigation took place into the incident which occurred during a speech by Nigel Farage last week.

A person, who said they were a parent of one of the girls who attended the speech, wrote on social media anonymously that the students were booed inside the lecture theatre and were subjected to “racial slurs” and “generally misogynistic comments”. They said of the private school pupils: “Their behaviour was awful.”
The poster also said that Eton boys had cheered Farage’s “worst comments on migrants and Covid”.

The college told the BBC it had apologised “unreservedly” for the “totally unacceptable” behaviour.

Expelled ? This is fucking Eton. They'll be marked out for high office.

Yep-very true. They’ll probably running the country in twenty years. If our recent cabinet members have been anything to go buy, the parents of these boys probably found the whole thing hilarious.

Don't want to silence anyone! @Roussette does!

She was calling him all sorts of libellous things - not the tone of rational debate. But then, this in Mumsnet!

NF is not a mainstream politician, don’t try and legitimise his racist views.

Also, he stood for election SEVEN times and he lost. Good riddance for ever.

Kids in years 9 to 13 have had their turn?

Seriously?

They’re just starting out in life.

My dd gets targeted on the way home from college by the boys from a nearby (rough) state school. My ds used to work in a technical college, she hated going into the male dominated classes because of the geering and comments. Groups of young males together, regardless of status, can behave like little shits if left unchecked. It's isn't acceptable for their usually male teachers, tutors or mentor to use the "boys will be boys" excuse, as so often happens.

Imagine paying out all that money for your kids to be "educated " by the likes of that scoundrel Farage.

Groups of young males together, regardless of status, can behave like little shits if left unchecked.

This is true, but places like Eton train the boys to have impeccable manners..with those they need to. So the rough lads in the council estate may be just as bad as Etonians, for example, but if one boy from each was caught for the same thing, it'd be the one not trained in smarm manners who gets into trouble.

And he objected to lifeboats saving the lives of people in those dinghies. Because of course the lives of people with brown skins just aren't worth saving.

It's only libel if it's untrue. Which it isn't.

Are there really no badly behaved teenagers at your children's schools?

I've often thought that if you are an MP in the UK, or a county Councillor, it should be law that you use public services and not opt out. So, you can only use state schools for you children and the NHS for medical care. I wonder if things would then improve. Of cause this would never happen because to pass such a law MPs would have to vote it through.

Nope, vast majority of parents will easily be able to pay the increases - some wont of course but the numbers will be extremely small.

Anyway, as we can see, money doesn't buy good behaviour.

What did she say that was libellous about NF?

@walkinginsunshinekat I think you'll be surprised- majority of privately educated children attend provincial preps and grammars in counties without the 11 plus. It's a big stretch for many.

But why then did they send all 4 boys there? Surely they could've voted with their feet and sent their younger boys elsewhere when they learned what the culture was like?

Parents who send their boys to Eton are buying access to the elite.

I wouldn't want my children listening to NF but I don't think they'd want to either. Nor would I have sent my dc to Eton even if I'd had the money.

But looking at this objectively.

Several things about this story occur to me:

1. It's Eton. So it hits the headlines in the way it won't if it's bog standard state up the road, or even little fancy private school in small town. Even ones like Harrow or Cheltenham ladies wouldn't hit the headlines in the same way.
2. It's apparently an anonymous parent whose daughter attended who's saying this. We don't even know if it is a parent then. And she's getting it second hand even if it is.
3. She presumably gave her daughter permission to go and listen to NF. So why are we criticising one school for hosting him but not the other schools chose to take their pupils too.
4. If there were other schools there, which presumably there were if her dd was there, then is she certain that those comments/cheers came from the Etonians rather than others? How?

So if you were the Mum and your dd came out saying that. What would you do? Would you post anonymously on SM or would you contact your school/Eton to speak about it?

But if it's one person saying anonymously that these things happened, how can you expel someone for it? Unless someone comes forward and says "it was this boy" then what can they do? If she's not prepared to come forward and work with the school they're not going to be able to discover the culprits.

The school is in a lose-lose situation. If they say "actually our masters attended and this wasn't their experience" they'll be accused of whitewashing it and approving of the behaviour. If they apologise, as they have done, they'll be assumed to be guilty.

As soon as Eton is mentioned people have their own views on the place whether they've been there, known anyone or not and, as we can see from this thread, mostly the views are negative.

@LaGioconda the court will decide that!

When?

It's apparently an anonymous parent whose daughter attended who's saying this. We don't even know if it is a parent then. And she's getting it second hand even if it is.

The school has publicly said that its pupils' behaviour was totally unacceptable and has apologised unreservedly for it. So I don't think there is any doubt about what happened. It was also reported that some boys had been suspended, so they were obviously able to identify them.

If they apologise, as they have done, they'll be assumed to be guilty.

Well given they've apologised, described their students' behaviour in their own words as “totally unacceptable” following their own investigation, and not denied any aspect of the allegations, then yes it does make them look guilty.

Cross posted with @LaGioconda

This kind of jeering and misogyny happens in all sorts of schools. Not least in inner city failing boys schools. It is not unique to Eton unfortunately. It is just that those failing state schools don't get the same scrutiny

Where are the schools that charge £100,000 a year

Le Rosey in Switzerland.

I think we have seen enough of how old Etonians conduct themselves in public life to know that people don't send their sons there because of the moral values that the school imparts.

I am not at all surprised by this story at all, nor am I surprised that nobody has been expelled. Let's face it, eradicating racism and misogyny is hardly the school's raison d'etre. That is not what they stand for at all.